Heart of Stone - Book 2: Hearts Collide

Stone stared up at the neon lights in the windows next to posters of women with big fake boobs in cheap lingerie.

Looking over his shoulder to his car parked in the empty lot, he made eye contact with Alistair in the front passenger seat. [You sure this is the right place?]

Alistair glanced at the cell phone in his hand, the glow from the screen lighting up his face. [Ja. Now hurry up. It says it’s going to close in ten minutes.]

[It says, ‘Sex Shop,’] Gunner added from the back seat. [Where else would humans buy condoms?]

[Come on, Alpha. The sun is setting,] Alistair said. [Tick tock.]

Sucking in a lungful of air, he pulled the door open and stepped inside.

The shop was well-lit, and a cashier stood behind the check-out kiosk on his right. Upon his entry, the bubble the girl at the check-out had been blowing popped.

“Damn,” she murmured under her breath before gathering her gum into her mouth and leaning across the counter. With her assets on full display with her low-cut V-neck shirt, she cleared her throat. “Why hello there. Anything I can help ya with?”

Chewing obnoxiously on the gum, she twisted a lock of bleach blonde hair around a slender finger as her eyes roamed up and down his body.

He stiffened as bile rose up his throat. Only Aubree was allowed to look at him that way. “Is there a male worker here who can assist me?”

“Yeah, but ya sure I can’t help ya with anything?” she asked, her voice sickly sweet. “I might be better equipped to help you.”

He balled his hands into fists at his side. “I’m sure.”

Pouting, she stood up straight and hollered over her shoulder, “Nick!”

She turned back to him, eying him again as she continued to chew obnoxiously on her gum. “Ya sure there’s nothing I can help ya with?”

“What’s up Trisha?” an effeminate voice called as footsteps approached the front of the store.

Stone turned to see a young man in his early twenties appear from one of the aisles and walk up to Trisha, with a slight blush in his cheeks. Green eyes glinted with glee below short sandy blond hair combed neatly to the side with gel.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Isn’t he scrumptious?” he whispered to her before he smiled politely at Stone.

The hairs on the back of Stone’s neck stood on end.

Good Goddess, he didn’t know who was worse—the flirty chick or the flamboyant homosexual.

Too late now. He was there for condoms, and he wasn’t going to leave until he got them. He had to protect Aubree the only way he knew how.

“How can I help you?” Nick asked, his eyes trailing over Stone’s biceps and shoulders.

“Condoms,” Stone said. “I need assistance in buying condoms.”

Nick’s eyes flicked to Stone’s crotch for a split second before he blinked and met Stone’s gaze. “Well, of course, I can help you with that! No one knows condoms better than me in this store!”

Trisha snorted as Nick came around the counter and beckoned Stone to follow him down one of the aisles.

Stone hesitated but pushed himself to follow him.

“Anything in particular you’re looking for?” Nick asked, glancing back over his shoulder as he led the way. “We have ribbed for added pleasure, flavored, hypoallergenic...”

Stone hesitated as Nick paused in front of a shelf full of boxes of condoms. There had to be two or three dozen different ones to pick from.

He was only concerned about fit.

“The largest one,” he grumbled.

The pink in the young man’s cheeks deepened. “Oh my, I’m sure you are...” he mumbled to himself as he turned to the shelf, “fully-loaded...”

Stone brushed his hand through his hair as Nick found what he was looking for and pulled the box from the shelf.

“Here we are. Porn Star. These are the enchiladas of condoms,” Nick said with a big grin and a wiggle of his brows. “They are our largest, most durable, and highest rated in performance brand of condoms.”

“Thank you,” Stone said as he took the box from him and turned it over, looking for anything to indicate size.

He heard the door open as two pairs of footsteps entered.

Trisha started to say something, then stammered incoherently.

“Got any popcorn? This is hilarious,” he heard Alistair ask.

Gunner’s footsteps approached Stone and Nick inhaled sharply when Gunner appeared around the aisle in his black workout shorts and white T-shirt that struggled to contain his bulging muscles.

“Alpha?” Gunner asked, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips as he came to stand next to Stone.

Nick about fainted. “Alpha? Oh my...”

Tensing, Stone narrowed his eyes at Gunner while Alistair’s laugh boomed across the shop.

“Seriously, dollface,” Stone heard Alistair ask the cashier, “got any popcorn?”

[Did he put you up to this?] Stone demanded Gunner.

Gunner’s lips twitched. [Let’s just say, I got bit by the curiosity bug.]

Stone set his jaw. [I’m going to kill you both.]

“Perhaps we should buy more than one?” Gunner suggested.

“W-We?” Nick sputtered.

“You know one won’t be enough to sate the appetite,” Gunner added.

Stone growled as he shoved the Porn Stars into Gunner’s hand. [I’ll buy more than one so I never have to set foot in this place again.]

“He’s going to whip my ass after this, but I like it rough, so it’s a win-win,” Alistair said to Trisha.

Nick was fanning himself, his face beet red, as his eyes skipped nervously between Stone and Gunner. “Well, there’s—ahem—ten condoms in a box, so...”

“Then we’ll get more,” Stone ground out through his teeth, his eyes locked on Gunner’s.

[You’re both dead meat after this,] he added.

“How-How many more?” Nick sputtered.

“How many do you have?” Gunner asked. “We have a big appetite to fill.”

“He’s so huge, it’ll be a miracle if you’ve got something big enough for him. Like, this thick and this long,” Alistair said to the cashier and must have made hand gestures, not that Stone could see from where he was standing. “And it gets bigger. That’s just when he’s excited.”

“All of them,” Stone growled, feeling a vein pulse in his temple, “and then I will never have to come back here again.”

“Ohh, dollface, he’s hungry,” Alistair giggled before shouting, “I’m hungry. Can we go now?”

“Lord, have mercy,” Nick heaved under his breath as he began to pull off boxes of Porn Star from the shelf and handing them to Stone and Gunner.

Alistair lowered his voice again to Trisha. “I need some sausage, or Bratwurst. A real thick German—”

[Goddess! Cease and desist!]

“—on a bun, smothered in—”

“We could use some new anal plugs,” Gunner said.

Stone felt all the blood rush from his face. [Wait, what?]

[I read about them in a book,] Gunner said, [but never actually seen one.]

Nick looked down, clutched his chest. “It’s so precious when couples shop together.”

Stone gaped at the human.

“I admire you for not trying to hide your relationship,” Nick said.

Stone growled lowly in his chest. [Game over, you two.]

He turned abruptly and marched toward the check-out as Alistair’s laugh filled the store once more.

“Thank you,” Gunner said to Nick before following closely behind, his mischievous grin burning into Stone’s back.

Trisha’s eyes nearly popped out of her head when they arrived with a dozen boxes of Porn Stars and bit back any comments as her eyes danced between Stone, Alistair, and Gunner.

“I am never buying condoms again,” Stone grunted when they left and climbed into the car.

“But you have to protect my babygirl from your feral sperm!”

"She can buy them next time! I’m done!” Stone snapped as he started the car and slammed his foot on the gas and roared out of the parking lot.